Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Paste collection is one of many duties I am responsible for
as a research assistant for the MSU Hyena project. In addition to collecting
paste during dartings we also collect paste from stalks out in the field. A
couple of days ago my fellow RAs and I embarked on a journey in search of paste
stalks.

In order to find the paste we had to channel our inner
hyenas. Usually I am unable to smell paste but that day my nose decided to
develop and invite a new smell for my brain to register. While paste is not the worst thing I have ever
smelled it is a scent I could do without.

Benson, Wilson, and I doing our best to detect the lovely
smell of paste.

We typically go out to the dens in the afternoon when the
hyenas aren’t around to collect paste stalks. Once we arrive at the den we look
for the presence of paste on the stalk we saw the hyenas paste on earlier in
the day. For those who aren’t as lucky or maybe I should say lucky to be able
to smell paste they can find it visually. It has a dark brown appearance and is
similar to the consistency of peanut butter. When smelling for paste I would
advise against putting your nose too close to the stalk or else you’ll end up
with what I like to call a “paste-y nose” (the paste from the stalk leaves
residue on your nose when contact is made). Unfortunately Benson learned this
the hard way!

Benson, Chase, and Wilson smelling a stalk for paste.

Once we find the paste we cut the paste portion of the stalk
from the un-pasted portion. We place these pieces into two separate vials and
the un-pasted portion serves as our control.

Want to learn more about paste and what happens after we
send the vials back to Michigan? Stay tuned to the MSU Hyena blog.

Help Support the Research

You can help support our research by making a donation to the Hyena Research Fund at MSU. Your contributions provide necessary resources for the students and scientists to continue our work. Use the link below to make a donation or contact MSU for additional details.